Industry News

The Electronic Security Association (ESA) is now accepting entries to its 2020 Youth Scholarship Program — a philanthropic endeavor that aims to support the futures of sons and daughters of first responders. The electronic security industry works intimately with the public safety sector. Police, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs offer a vital service to our communities, in our shared goal of keeping people, places and property safe. To give back to this group that so positively impacts t...

The London Fire Commissioner, Dany Cotton, has announced she will be stepping down from her position at London Fire Brigade on 31 December. The Commissioner had previously announced in June that she intended to retire from the fire and rescue service in April 2020, but in consultation with City Hall it has been agreed that Dany will bring that forward to the end of this year to enable a timely handover to the next Commissioner, as the Brigade works to urgently deliver the recommendations of the...

A Cambridgeshire firefighter becomes the first female at March Fire Station to be the officer in charge of emergency incidents and qualified to drive a fire engine. Firefighter Vicky Vata was successful at the crew’s drill night on late November 2019 where she was assessed by officers from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s training center. The qualification, known as ‘safe to ride’ means Vicky will ride a fire engine as the officer in charge of an incident, taking...

Responding to a terrible student accommodation fire in Bolton, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called for a complete overhaul of UK fire safety and condemned cuts to fire and rescue services. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "My congratulations go to the crews on the ground who did amazing work in incredibly difficult circumstances. This terrible fire highlights the complete failure of the UK’s fire safety system. It’s deeply troubling to see fire spread rapidly up a build...

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland is advising fire safety professionals on the importance of properly certified hardware and training, following warnings from experts in fire safety law that they may now be deemed responsible for any breaches. Liability for fire safety breaches is being increasingly pushed down from building owners and occupiers to those that have been consulted, assessed and advised on the appropriate fire safety solutions for a site. Should these products fail to...

Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) has taken part in a series of multi-agency training exercises to tests its chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear response. The three training sessions, which fell under CBRNe, were designed to test how emergency services from across the region responded to incidents such as chemical spills and contamination. Training exercises These scenarios involved staff from Avon and Somerset Police, South Western Ambulance Service, Devon & Somerset Fire...

The risk of further residential fire tragedies, following the fatal Grenfell Tower fire, has been raised by leading engineering services trade association ECA, in its response to the ‘Raising the Bar’ consultation. In the aftermath of the blaze at the Grenfell Tower high-rise block in West London, several inquiries have concluded that installer competency is fundamental to public safety. This is particularly the case in buildings such as residential tower blocks, care homes and hospi...

When a fire starts, every second counts. Fire extinguishers can help save lives when used quickly and effectively. Yet an astonishing 70% of fire extinguisher owners say they would not be comfortable using an extinguisher in the event of a fire according to recent research. For this reason, First Alert and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have developed a new fire extinguisher training course for volunteer fire departments nationwide, supplemented by an extinguisher donation program fo...

Europe’s pioneer door provider, Hörmann UK, has launched its new FlexFire Protection Curtain, specifically designed to provide the construction and other industrial sectors with unrivalled smoke protection in the event of a fire. Equipped with an intelligent FSA-FLEXControl hold-open device as standard, the curtain closes reliably if smoke develops. When combined with optical smoke detectors that monitor the door area, the hold-open device is compliant with the requirements outlined...

According to the Government, the key function for UKSAR services is to “ensure a coordinated response to emergencies in order to search for, rescue and recover those missing or in distress or potential distress on land, sea and shore line areas, including tidal and inland waters and to coordinate those actions”. Coordinated rescue operations The Police (including the National Police Air Service), Fire & Rescue Services (including Flood Rescue and Urban SAR units), Ambulances Se...

From the 16th October 2019 we will be able to request North Yorkshire Police’s drones to assist us at incident scenes. Thermal imaging drones North Yorkshire Police have been using drones since 2018 to assist with searches, examining crime scenes and at road traffic collisions. The drones use thermal imaging technology and are able to take photographs and videos. They were used earlier this year to assist us at a large fire in a workshop in Northallerton. Group Manager Mark Naylor from...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. It is led by high-profile organizations such as the British Woodwork...